If you enjoy eating salmon, you are probably wondering if raw salmon can stay in the fridge for 5 days. This is a commonly asked question, as many people are not sure when they should eat their salmon after buying it.
Seafood does not have a very long shelf life, so it is important to make sure that you know how long it is good for. Especially if you find yourself frequently buying raw seafood as there is a certain amount of time that you have to eat it.
You could easily become extremely sick if you were to consume all the seafood or spoiled seafood. As seafood is very similar to meat, as it has the ability to grow bad bacteria if it is left sitting out for too long.
Keep reading to find out if raw salmon can last in the fridge for 5 days and how long uncooked salmon is good for.
Raw Salmon Stored In Fridge Up to 5 Days
If you have bought raw salmon, it is important to make sure that you consume it within a certain period of time. Raw salmon in the fridge for five days is typically too long, as raw salmon generally is only good for three days once opened.
If you have not opened the package of raw salmon, it will most likely be able to last up to five days or even longer. As it is carefully sealed and has not been exposed to any bacteria in the air that could cause it to spoil.
How long raw salmon lasts is not entirely dependent on how you store it as it does not have a very long shelf life. Once you have opened it, you should eat raw salmon within 3 days to ensure that it does not go bad.
Thawed salmon should also be consumed within three days as it will be in its raw form. If it is packaged and unopened, this may allow it to last up to five days, but you should generally only thaw out salmon when you are ready to eat it.
If your salmon is cooked, it should easily be able to last up to five days without going bad. Though you should eat it within four or five days in order for it to still be fresh and good to eat.
How Long Will Raw Salmon Last In the Fridge?
If you have bought raw salmon, there is a short window of time when you need to consume this type of seafood. If you leave the salmon in the packaging until you are ready to cook it, it will be able to last significantly longer.
This is why it is recommended to buy only the quantity of salmon that you need for that particular meal. Allowing you to use all of the raw salmon once you have opened the package instead of leaving half of it in the fridge.
Unopened salmon can last up to five days or even a little longer if it is left untouched in the fridge. While opened and raw salmon should be cooked and eaten within three days max in order for it to still be fresh and safe to eat.
If you have cooked the raw salmon, it will last a little bit longer in the fridge, usually up to five days total. So if you will not be eating it immediately, it is better to leave it in the package or to cook it so that it will last longer.
Raw Salmon Will Go Bad After 6 Days
If you buy raw salmon, it is important to know how to store it and to know if it has gone bad. Especially if you have kept the raw salmon past the use-by-date on the package.
In general, it is OK to eat raw salmon after the use-by-date has passed as long as it has been properly stored. This usually includes raw salmon in the package unopened and in the fridge or freezer.
You will want to know how to spot the signs if your salmon has gone bad so that you do not accidentally eat it. As you can get very sick from consuming seafood that has spoiled.
Different Color
Raw salmon usually has a pink coral color that is bright and vibrant. This color should stay the same no matter how long you have had the raw salmon if it is still good to eat.
If the raw salmon has started to take on a blue, green, or gray color, this is a clear indication that it is going bad. Old is Sam and will also start to take on a bluish or gray color that shows that it is not fresh any longer.
That is why you should only buy salmon that has that bright coral color, and you should not eat it if it changes colors when it is in the fridge.
Fishy Smell
You may assume that seafood is supposed to have a fishy smell, but that is not necessarily true. Fresh seafood that is good quality is not going to smell fishy, but it’s going to have a fresh seafood scent.
If your salmon starts to smell fishy or pungent, this could be a clear sign that it is going bad. Raw salmon should smell fresh but should not have an overly fishy or unpleasant odor if it is still good to eat.
Slimy or Growth
Raw salmon that has started to go bad will often develop a white film that is slimy and sticky. It may also start to grow bacteria or mold that will show up in patches over the salmon.
These are indications that you should certainly not eat the salmon and you throw it away as it has already spoiled. Raw salmon should be moist and soft but should not be slimy, sticky, or have spots on it.
It is a good idea to thoroughly examine raw salmon once you have bought it, so that you know exactly how it looked when it was fresh. This way, you will be able to tell if anything has changed which could indicate that you should not eat it.
Raw Salmon Can Also be Frozen
If you like to buy raw salmon, you may have a difficult time keeping a supply of salmon without keeping it for too long. As raw salmon is only good for so long and should be eaten as quickly as possible, which can be difficult to do.
One great way to store raw salmon is to freeze it so that its shelf life is extended. As raw salmon is not going to go bad if it is frozen as it will not be exposed to bacteria or anything else that will spoil it.
You can’t put raw salmon in the freezer if it is still in its original packaging and carefully sealed. It will freeze and can stay good for up to several months until you are ready to thaw it out and cook it.
This is the best way to preserve raw salmon until you are ready to use it, just keep in mind that its quality will decrease after a few months. It will not necessarily go bad, but it will start to become old and can become freezer burnt.